The Mac sleep time can be a real pain but it’s all designed to offer you optimum performance for the Mac and battery. Yet, it doesn’t always suit our needs. So, learning How to Change Sleep Time on Mac. Will allow you to make small adjustments that allow you to use the Mac better. Also, keep the performance and battery health healthy.
- In the top left-hand corner click the Apple Menu ()
- From the Apple menu select System Preferences
- On the system preferences select Battery
- Select Battery from the left menu
- Adjust the “Turn Display of after” slider to change sleep time from 1 min to Never
It is not always easy following along with a how-to with a simple list. So I have the how-to with pictures and, if you look below, even video instructions.
How to Put Your Mac to Sleep Manually
If you are moving away from your Mac and you don’t want anyone accessing it. Or you just want to put the Mac into sleep mode manually this is easily achieved.
- In the top left-hand corner click the Apple Menu ()
- From the Apple menu select “Sleep”
Have a Macbook? Well, you can just close the lid and it will automatically be put into sleep mode.
If you have inferred receiver on your Mac then you can use the Apple remote to execute sleep mode.
- Press and hold the Play/Pause button for 5 seconds to activate sleep mode
- Press any button on the Apple remote to wake the Mac from sleep mode
How to Change Sleep Time on Mac
By default, your Mac will go into sleep mode after 2 minutes which can become a nuisance. Knowing how to change this setting can overcome that and it is easy to achieve.
If your Mac is causing you problems then you are going to want to change the duration it takes to activate. With that said we do want to keep in mind the sleep timer is there to keep the Mac in optimum condition.
The below settings are for a MacBook, however, you will still be able to use the information for other Mac computers. Where we will look for “Battery” within the setting you will want “Energy Saver”.
Let’s see How to Change Sleep Time on Mac:
Step 1. In the top left-hand corner click the Apple Menu ()
Step 2. From the Apple menu select System Preferences
Step 3. On the system preferences select Battery.
If you have an iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro you will want “Energy Saver” at this step
Step 4. Select Battery from the left menu
If you don’t have a MacBook then you can skip this section and move to Mac Power Adapter Sleep Settings. As these settings will only be applicable to MacBook users.
Step 5. Adjust the “Turn Display of after” slider to change sleep time from 1 min to Never
MacBook Battery Setting
- You use the Turn display off after slider to determine how long it takes to turn off your screen. You have the option to slide from 1 minute to 3 hours. If you slide the slider all the way to the right to “Never” the display will never turn off.
- Below the Slider, there are additional settings you can change regarding sleep:
- Slightly dim the display while on battery power – this is a great setting for saving battery life when you are not plugged into the mains.
- Optimise video streaming while on battery – any high-dynamic-range (HDR) video will convert into standard dynamic range (SDR) if the option is available saving power.
- Optimised battery charging – is all about improving the lifespan of the battery by reducing the time the battery is fully charged.
- Show battery status in menu bar – the battery will show or not in the menu bar.
- Low power mode – reduces the amount of power the MacBook will use as the battery gets lower.
Mac Power Adapter Sleep Settings
This section will be available to all Mac users. Yet on an iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro, this page will be called “Power”. All the settings are the same so whichever Mac you are on these will be applicable.
- Just like in the Battery tab you have the option to use a Turn display off after slider. The slider determines how long it takes to turn off your screen. You have the option to slide from 1 minute to 3 hours. If you slide the slider all the way to the right to “Never” the display will never turn off.
- Below the Slider, there are additional settings you can change regarding sleep:
- Prevent your Mac from automatically sleeping when the display is off: this setting allows you to turn off the Mac display or shut the lid on a MacBook and not automatically put them to sleep.
- Wake for network access: if an app or your system needs updating this setting will allow the Mac to wake up to make changes or updates.
- Low power mode: reduces the amount of power the Mac will use to put less strain on components.
How to Schedule Sleep on Your Mac
- In the top left-hand corner click the Apple Menu ()
- From the Apple menu select System Preferences
- On the system preferences select Battery/Energy Saver
- Select Schedule from the left menu
If you have a schedule that you always stick to. Then it can be good practice to set up a schedule for your Mac to allow it to sleep.
Allowing your Mac to sleep can save stress on components and battery life on MacBooks. You have a couple of options to choose from which we will go over to help you set up a schedule.
The two options to choose from are:
- Start-up or wake
- Sleep
Start-up or wake – select this setting if you want your Mac to Start Up or Wake at a specific time. You can choose Weekdays, Weekends, Everyday or a specific day. Once you select the day(s) you then need to select a time you want the Mac to Start Up or Wake.
Sleep – select this setting if you want your Mac to Sleep at a specific time. You can choose Weekdays, Weekends, Everyday or a specific day. Once you select the day(s) you then need to select a time you want the Mac to Sleep.
How to Wake your Mac from sleep
If you have everything set how you want. Whether that is manually putting the Mac to sleep or having a schedule set up. You will want to know how to wake the Mac from its sleep mode.
To wake a Mac from sleep mode you need to:
- Press a key on the keyboard, a mouse click, or click the trackpad
- On a Macbook you can open the lid to wake the Mac
If you are security conscious and it’s always recommended that you are then you can set a password required on wakeup. Or if you don’t want a password required then you can also turn off the password requirement.
Start a Mac Sleep Timer Using Terminal
If you are someone who prefers to use the terminal to carry out tasks on the Mac. Then you are in luck and you can set the sleep timer through the terminal.
- Open Spotlight search
- Search Terminal
- Open Terminal
Once you have Terminal open you want to enter the following code but don’t press Enter yet:
sudo shutdown
Now you want to add a space to the end of the code above. Then enter one of the following pieces of code depending on the command you wish to achieve:
Shutdown Mac
-h
Restart Mac
-r
Put the Mac to sleep
-s
Now you want to add a space to the end of the code. Then enter the final piece of code as shown below:
+20
This indicates how many minutes you want the Mac to sleep after. So in the above code that would be 20 minutes.
So putting everything together in an example showing a code to put the Mac to sleep in 20 minutes would be:
sudo shutdown -s +20
As the image above shows you will need to enter the admin password to carry out the command.
How to Set the Sleep Time on a Mac
If you prefer video, I have you covered with this simple-to-follow video on How to Set the Sleep Time on a Mac.